On International Women’s Day, let us pay tribute to all women worldwide who contribute so much to the well-being of their families, communities and nations.

In every part of the world, women are the weavers of the fabric of society, and progress towards equality is being made. Today more girls attend school, more women hold parliament and government seats, and more women benefit from paid employment. Yet there is still a long way to go to achieve true equality.

As long as one woman dies needlessly each minute from complications of pregnancy and childbirth, we have to prioritize the health and rights of women. This includes the right to sexual and reproductive health.

GENEVA (ILO News) – Despite signs of progress in gender equality over the past 15 years, there is still a significant gap between women and men in terms of job opportunities and quality of employment, according to a new report by the International Labour Office (ILO).

The report, entitled Women in labour markets: Measuring progress and identifying challenges, says that more than a decade after the 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing adopted an ambitious global platform for action on gender equality and women’s empowerment, gender biases remain deeply embedded in society and the labour market.

The ILO report shows that the rate of female labour force participation has increased from 50.2 to 51.7 per cent between 1980 and 2008, while the male rate decreased slightly from 82.0 to 77.7 per cent. As a result, the gender gap in labour force participation rates has narrowed from 32 to 26 percentage points.  

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (9 March 2010) – Today, the First Vice Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic Mr. Akylbek Japarov and the UN Resident Coordinator Mr. Neal Walker announced the Launch of the One UN Programme in Kyrgyzstan.

Funding of a total USD 3.6 million was committed for the implementation of the One UN Programme in Kyrgyzstan in 2010. This sum represents core UN funding granted to the UN system in Kyrgyzstan to be allocated to projects determined jointly between the United Nations and the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic through the Joint Steering Committee.   

Dear ladies and gentlemen,
The 8th of March is an opportune moment to recognise women of Kyrgyzstan for promoting gender equality and empowerment and for their achievements in the country’s development. It is also an excellent chance to reflect on the existing gaps and to look ahead to the advancement of full respect of women's rights and opportunities.

The United Nations acknowledges the great advances manifested themselves in the commitments of the Kyrgyz Republic to gender equality and women’s rights made over the past decade. The country has joined the Beijing Platform for Actions, ratified the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and signed the Millennium Declaration.  The Government has adopted appropriate strategies, such as the National Action Plan for Gender Equality, and passed important laws, including the Law on the Social and Legal Protection from Domestic Violence and the Law on State Guarantees for Equal Rights and Opportunities for Men and Women.

“We must unite. Violence against women cannot be tolerated, in any form, in any context, in any circumstance, by any political leaders or by any government”
Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary-General

March 5, 2010 in a press-conference devoted to official launch of “UNiTE TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN” Campaign of UN Secretary-General, took place in UN House. Mr. Neal Walker, UN Resident Coordinator in the Kyrgyz Republic, Ms. Guljamal Sultanalieva, member of parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic, Ms. Aigul Ryskulova, Minister of Labor, Employment and Migration, as well as Ms. Anara Niyazova, a member of Alliance for Women Legislative Initiatives, and Ms. Alexandra Eliferenko, President of Association of Crisis Centers, participated in the press-conference.

8 March 2010 - Gender equality and women’s empowerment are fundamental to the global mission of the United Nations to achieve equal rights and dignity for all.  This is a matter of basic human rights, as enshrined in our founding Charter and the Universal Declaration.  It is part of the Organization’s very identity.

But equality for women and girls is also an economic and social imperative.  Until women and girls are liberated from poverty and injustice, all our goals -- peace, security, sustainable development -- stand in jeopardy.

The largest military offensive since 2002 is now underway in the Helmand province in Afghanistan. At the same time, a consensus is emerging that the conflict in this country can ultimately not be solved by military means. I have consistently advocated the need to prepare the ground for a political process, which could lead to a political settlement. Military operations must therefore be conducted in a way that does not close the space for efforts to initiate such a process.

At the recent London Conference, more than 70 countries and organizations agreed to create a trust fund that would help integrate Taliban and other insurgents who accept to stop fighting. The details of how this fund will work, who will be targeted, and how incentives will be provided, remain to be worked out.

On the World Day of Social Justice, we recognize the importance of tackling poverty, exclusion and unemployment, in order to promote solidarity, harmony and equality of opportunity within and between societies.

On this day, which is being marked for only the second time, we reflect on the importance of social justice in our efforts to forge a more stable, equitable and secure world. The pursuit of social justice for all is at the core of the United Nations’ mission to promote development and human dignity. The Social Protection Floor Initiative, launched in 2009, is a UN system-wide effort to promote common priorities and solutions, to ensure basic social guarantees for all.    

Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) – On 17 February 2010 the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the Delegation of the European Union organized for the Members of Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic the seminar "Gender Aspects of Aid Effectiveness and National Development”.

The aim of the seminar was to increase awareness among Members of Parliament (MPs) about gender aspects of implementation of the Paris Declaration and Accra Agenda for Action in Kyrgyzstan and about the increased role of the Parliament in aid effectiveness processes.    

Бишкек, 30 января 2010

Спикер парламента Кыргызстана вчера, 29 января 2010 года, встретился с Представителем Управления Верховного комиссара ООН по делам беженцев в КР Ханс Фридрих Шоддером. Как сообщает пресс-служба парламента, во встрече также принял участие Национальный Советник по делам беженцев Олег Жданов.

З.Курманов отметил, что Кыргызстан связывает большие надежды с деятельностью УВКБ ООН по защите и реализации прав граждан, сообщил о готовности парламента страны к плодотворному сотрудничеству в деле предотвращения и сокращения безгражданства.

В свою очередь Представитель Управления Верховного комиссара ООН по делам беженцев в КР Ханс Фридрих Шоддер, поблагодарив Торага за теплый прием и поздравив его с назначением на высокую должность, подчеркнул, что Кыргызстан вносит весомый вклад в решение проблем беженцев.